Camper Gets Cute

I've always wanted a pair of Camper shoes—theoretically, that is. But their molded soles and offbeat silhouettes were always just a little too...utilitarian? Boring? Just plain ugly? But this weekend I found my perfect Campers in a pair of striking yellow heels.



Camper Rachael wedge-ishes, $160. Wowzers. The architectural heel, the laser-sharp cutouts, THAT HEEL. Love! Bought! They also come in black. I can't wait to wear these.



I also considered these cool slingbacks in red, also $160, that go by the same name but are obviously a different shoe. But then I remembered I already have a pair of reddish wedges and went with the supercomfy foot-hugging yellow ones. But now I see that these also come in off white...



...and I still pine for a pair of off-white slingback wedges that I wore everywhere for at least two summers before they fell apart, and I fear I may have to make my second Camper purchase sooner than expected. But the red is so hot! What to do!

Camper is also well-known for their "twins" concept, where each shoe is slightly different from its mate. This one is supercute:


Twins flat sandals, $145. Is it picnic season yet?

As an added bonus, people are always saying Camper shoes are insanely comfortable. We shall see!

Hot Spring Trend (In My Mind): Boca Bubbe Sandals

($83, Office.co.uk)

I'm thinking this summer I'm gonna go full-blown Boca Bubbe. And these delightfully tacky metallic sandals are a step in the right direction, nu? And look at you. You should eat!

Shoe Should: F-Troupe's Plastic Heart Shoes

Oh F-Troupe. I surrender.

($123, F-Troupe)

And those little hearts? They're leather. LEATHA!

I hereby dedicate this post and my burning desire to own these F-Troupe sandals to the great Juice Newton, who not only picked the coolest stage name ever but also went to my high school.

Juice Newton - Queen Of Hearts
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Two Pairs Of Shoes By Which I Cannot Abide

I consider myself a fairly tolerant, accepting person. However there are a few things I cannot abide by. One of those things? These Cindy Says Keegan heels...

($142, Cindy Says, Endless.com)

I mean, they're platforms. Covered in pony hair. And feathers. And studs. And some kind of gem thing. They have whipstitching. And they lace up. And they have a fabric welt. The only thing they don't have is even the most remote shred of decency. And don't even get me started on the tan and orange version.


Hard to say which is more offensive. They both have their own separate list of bullet pointed atrocities.

Meanwhile, these Doc Martens for Opening Ceremony Darcie boots?...

($300, Doc Martens, Opening Ceremony)

True, I DO have the black version of these Darcie Docs. And I LOVE these gold flocked Docs. But while I do LOVE animal print, this is proof that animal print can be used for both good AND evil. There's just something '70s-in-the-bad-way about the print. It looks like a fabric batik wall hanging that my mom mounted on a hula hoop and hung on the wall of our basement rec room back in 1982. True story.

+ On a related note: Hello Kitty Doc Martens

The 3 Best Shoes I Bought This Year

This was a pretty good year for the economy, for iPad owners, and for me, because I bought some puhretty sweet shoes. Here are three of the best pairs of shoes I purchased this year. (In case you were wondering.)

1.) Ce Ce Chin Sloan Black Lace Pump

The kind people at Shoeaficionado.com, which is like Gilt Groupe but strictly for shoes, sent me a gift certificate for a free pair, and I got these Ce Ce Chin -- she's the designer behind 80%20 -- black lace overlay pumps with a beaded heel inspired by vintage perfume bottles.

Here's a better image of the heel's detail:

I wear them with black skinny jeans or my black Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress.

2.)  Matiko Leila Studded Loafers

($119.50, Matiko, Solestruck.com)

I got these Matiko studded loafers back in July at Solestruck, which has a really excellent collection of boutique brands at affordable prices. They're obviously um, "inspired" by Christian Louboutins. I love them, but within just a few months, some of the studs fell off, and by this point the heels are starting to get small holes in them, though mainly because I guess I walk like somewhat of a total freak. They're deep within the winter of their lives, but for $100, they were well worth it. 

 

3.) Haus Of Price Seashell Booties

($245, Haus Of Price, StantonJames.com)

Yes, indeed I did spend over $100 on black booties covered in seashells. I got these Haus Of Price handmade booties from StantonJames, which I WISH had a location in New York, by the way, and they are absolutely my everything. When I unboxed them, it was like unboxing a thrill, and not even my husband's "were those an arts and crafts project made by residents of a nursing home" inquest was enough to dissuade my instant love. They're SUPER comfortable, and my only complaint is that some of the shells got crushed, but that's the price you pay for wearing shoes covered in real shells. It's a risk worth taking. Anyway, my Haus Of Price booties mean the world to me, they are my everything. Essentially, they're the bootie version of my favorite Toni Braxton song.

On my wishlist

Military green and black leather thigh high boots, yes please!

vanessa jackman

Rebecca Minkoff Launches Shoes!!

It's official, Rebecca Minkoff is launching a 25-piece shoe collection as part of her Spring 2011 line. Known for casual luxury via beautiful leather handbags and accessories at moderate prices ((in this designer obsessed age), Minkoff's footwear will be priced from around $160 to $395. Look at that, I'm already ogling the Vixen platform pump and Spring 2011 is aaaaages away!!!!
Check out some of the images:

The Vixen platform pump in Nude and Black triangle perforated leather
The Vamp platform pump in both Nude and Navy leather with color-blocked Pebble leather

Geox's Totally Transtracular Empire State Building Heels

Geox, the people who brought you, um, golf shoes, now bring you these batshittingly transtacular heels with an EMPIRE STATE BUILDING HEEL.

($230, Geox)

These are so '90s that they practically walked straight out of Pret A Porter.

If you read lots of blogs (late pass! I've been on my honeymoon!) then you already know that these Geox heels are part of the comfy shoe brand's Spring/ Summer line and launched to herald (har) the opening of Geox's new store on 34th Street.

They kind of have a bit of a Payless-drops-acid vibe to them, which is to say I would probably buy them on a whim if they were for sale at Payless for like $49, as opposed to $230, which is too much to spend on a joke. But I do like that they're basically the embodiment of one of my favorite Bee Gees songs, "Nights On Broadway."

PS: True story: When I was a kid, I used to think it was the Empire Strikes Back Building. Awww. I was such a cute kid. See?

Even at under 12 months, I was runnin' that awesome outfit game.

Fortunately I became an even cuter teen!
Nighty nite!

Diamond Ring

Faryl Robin Sample Sale: Resistance Is Futile

I tried not to go. I really did. I said to myself, "You don't need new shoes." But, truth is, I probably do! It's a new season (summer in NYC, apparently), and many of my old sandals have seen better days. And so: shoe sample sale! I got two uber-practical pairs of sandals which seem comfortable, have heels of moderate height and above-average cuteness, and rang up at $49 each. Why the hell not?


Faryl Robin "Dakota," $199 retail. This is going to be a staple of my wardrobe. Is it possible I don't have a pair of decent black wedges?? Well, I do now.



Faryl Robin "Elise," $199. The ones I got were uniformly taupe, although they did have this pair, with the peach and citron straps. I thought taupe would go with more stuff. Love that heel!

They also had most of the other spring styles available, most of them for $49 but a few for more. Lucky 7s can peruse the boot section as well. This is one instance in which being average pays off: The sale is ONLY for sizes 7, 8, and 9. It runs through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 200 Park Ave. South, Suite 1610. NEW YORK CITY BABY!

RedPoppy's Holiday Gift Flats

Hiya everyone! Hope you've had a lovely weekend. I've been meaning to write loads more and also read through so many of your fabulous blogs, but it's been a very busy few weeks lately involving resumes, fashion job hunts, family, winter boot research, and of course a heavy holiday dose of introspection. So in my continuing quest to find you some more fashionable RedPoppy holiday gift ideas, I've come across these gooorgeous festive flats in sparkles and satin that will make your feet feel like a fabulous cocktail party. So my dear readers I'm baaaack and more redhead than before, so please keep reading and make sure to stay tuned for RedPoppy's upcoming exclusive interview with stunning redhead model Chantal Stafford-Abbott!! Love and kisses, RP

Shoe Guide from top to bottom:
Lanvin
Kate Spade
Gap
YOOX
Kate Spade

I heart gold studs

Ohh, how I adore Garance Doré's amazing studded Louboutin flats. Ahh, I want!

garance doré

Isabel Toledo's Payless High Ghillie Heels Are Something Alright

($39.99, Isabel Toledo, Payless.com)

What's black, and yellow, and crazy all over? Isabel Toledo's crazypants High Ghillie rugged cut-out Oxford Mary Janes with a yellow lug heel. They're bad because they're... well... nuts, they're good because they're Isabel Toledo and therefore fun, and thus a walking paradox.

BTW, the red ones are only available at Colette. But if I WERE to wear them -- and I'm not sure even I would (and that's saying a lot) I'd go with the yellow ones.

DISCUSS!

Clogs: Yay or Nay?

True story: The only pair of Dr. Scholl's "original wood exercise sandal" or whatever I owned lasted me approximately four hours. That's how long it took me to hobble to work, feverishly working my toe-grip muscles to unsuccessfully attempt to keep the damn things on my feet, look casual-cute at my desk for a few hours, and finally fall out of them on W. 53rd Street at lunch. Those things are the devil in shoe form. So unassuming-looking, and yet IMPOSSIBLE to walk in. For me, anyway. I'm guessing that wooden shoes + mules = no go, even several years later, but oh how I wish I could rock some of this spring's luxed-up clogs. Hippies never looked so good, people! Here are a few of my favorite clunkers:





Swedish Hasbeens are SO NOW (hardie har har)! Four-inch heels, people. This is the Braided Sky-High model in sweet pale pink, $242 with shipping from Sweden.







Swedish Hasbeens peep-toes, $219 with shipping. Love these!







The Jeffrey Campbell "Charli" clog, $126. This is a really luxe-looking clog. And yet it's five whole inches of heel, slightly mitigated by a one-inch platform. I can only imagine myself attempting to walk down to my work cafeteria, nevermind five blocks to the subway. Danger! Danger! It's stunning in black, and I love that you can move the strap to make it a slingback.







Funkis closed-toe clogs, $149. These are handmade in Sweden AND have staples holding them together, so you know they're authentic (right?).







No. 6 clog boots were all the rage this winter, at least here in New York. Their clogs are custom-made for you and come in a slew of colors and several styles. This is a T-strap for $230.







If I were to join the cult of clogs, I might just go for Maguba's DIY option: design it yourself! I just can't figure out what color combo I would get...purple and black? Purple and yellow? Black and yellow? So many options!

















Maguba "Barcelona" clogs, $141.



If actual clogs are just too scary for you, there are a whole bunch of clog-inspired sandals out there. A few studs in the right spot, and bam! Hot semi-cloggy action.





Nine West "Eddisha" sandals, $79.







Miz Mooz "Hazel" sandals, $99.95.







And another: Kensie Girl "Taylor" sandals, $63.







Finally, these are on eBay and only applicable to size 7.5s, but, just, wow. Sigerson Morrison clogs, a Buy It Now steal at $105.99. Such a uniquely feminine (yet still cloggy) take on the style.



Happy stomping!

Senso's Pony Heels Are So Hot They Should Come With A Fire Extinguisher

($159.95, Senso, Solestruck.com)

It's hard to say which is stronger -- the preemptive guilt I'd experience buying these fur pony heels or the remorse I'd experience not buying them at all. #moralstruggle

They're by Australian brand Senso, and they're a hard-to-believe-they're-not-more-expensive $159 at the Solestruck, which is currently rebranding itself from "basic online shoe store" to a select, covet-worthy collection of "fun" (as opposed to "mom) brands like Jeffrey Campbell, All Black, Dolce Vita, and Rachel Comey. Basically, Solestruck incepted my mind while I was sleeping and set up a shop of all of my favorite affordable shoe brands. And pony fur heels.

I Can Has Hasbeen Candy-Colored Boots?

(Apprx $397 USD, Hasbeen, Swedishhasbeens.com)

Um, WHAT could be sweeter than lace-up leather boots the color of candy dots? I want Hasbeens (a resurrected '70s staple) in EVERY color. INCLUDING, but not limited to... beige:

($339, Hasbeens, Endless.com)

And Endless has a sick selection of Hasbeens. Love this camel-colored boot.

Solestruck Is Having A Big Shoe Sale. HUGE.

Guise! Solestruck is having a MASSIVE shoe sale. Get 50% off of any sale shoes with promo code FP72HMPZF. Through Monday!

($279, Maurie & Eve, Solestruck.com)

Sadly these Maurie & Eve leopard wedges weren't on sale, but I did get these Rocket Dog Otto heels in white leather. Because you can never have enough of those!

($191, Matt Bernson, Solestruck.com)

I paused briefly to consider these Matt Bernson Ripcord wedges because they're like $80, but I took a pass since I'm terrified of high wedges.

($19.95, Rocket Dog, Solestruck.com)

These were like $9. I mean, come on. Anyway, Solestruck also has free shipping for return customers, and you can opt to ship your shoes in an earth-friendly box. Now go forth and consume!